An abnormally hot, dry June sent many fruit types toward a road of no recovery, but recent rains may have saved some nuts, seeds, and garden and crop plants.

 “I think these recent rains will help; I ate my first mulberry from a tree last week,” said Doug Williams, at D G Sports Center in Portage.

“They’re great over ice cream and the early ones, now ready, are the sweetest.”

In spite of survival struggles, it’s encouraging to see an organism coping, and possibly getting back to ordinary.

Weather may have been a major factor sending morel pickers home disappointed in 2020, and again in 2021. For some wild mushroom lovers, however, golden oyster fungi can be a bright spot now; they’re usually found growing from a log or tree, providing some color, a wild flavor, easy to find and prepare.

Things may improve for the now-ripening blackcaps, but most anxious pickers are expecting small aggregate fruits, a short season, and unordinary seedy thimbles. The brambles may not completely recover from the hot, dry spell, but it should at least be a worthy venture for a July 4th pie.

Blackberries always lag blackcaps and are more likely to salvage the berry season for those who freeze, create jelly, and love them on ice cream or in pies. Mixing them with black raspberries may answer the erg, too.

Occasionally jellies are available as a mix of these two black berries, so why not freeze a few blackcaps and put them together with blackberries later?

The spring turkey season was not a bust in many areas with 37,179 birds registered compared to 44,982 in 2020. It seems many who were off work during 2020 spring hunted. However, when things changed, many of those hunters chose work over recreation. Others said that bird populations were down in Zone 1 and that’s why they didn’t purchase over the counter authorizations, leaving thousands unclaimed.

Recruitment weather has been favorable and some of the grouse-sized turkey poults are flying and roosting just fine. The fall season opens Sept. 18, 2021, without periods and drawings.

Warm weather can be too much for some birds, particularly pen-raised ring-necked pheasants, but Kelly Maguire at the Poynette game farm said providing plenty of food and water help. So does planting cover crops in the pens and keeping those plants watered.

 “Corn, as a cover crop, provides shade, which helps maintain good body temperatures,” she said. “We’re still looking at having 75,000 birds to release, with the later hatches now just taking place.”

Brian Dhuey, DNR biologist, said, of ruffed grouse based on the spring drumming survey, “We know where the cycle is at in spite of the blank year in 2020 because of COVID-19. The downward phase of the cycle is likely 2022 through 2026, before we start pulling out of the low point and increasing numbers of breeding birds.”

Dhuey said there should have been good numbers of breeding birds when the breeding and nesting seasons began this spring. Drumming counts were down 6 percent in the northern area, based on 51 routes.

Of the 51 northern routes this spring, 23 showed declining drums, 15 increasing, and 13 were no change.

The WDNR has confirmed a wild deer testing positive for chronic wasting disease in Green Lake County.  The location is within 10 miles of Fond du Lac, Winnebago and Waushara counties, making Winnebago County a CWD-affected county and enacting banning feeding and baiting of deer for two years. Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Waushara counties are already CWD-affected counties.

Raccoon damage, in the form of bagged feed, is beginning to pile up in Lafayette County, and elsewhere, according to Wayne Smith, in the Fayette area.

Watching some prairie plants cope with a moderate drought was encouraging. Compass plants, now beginning to mark their prairie birthdays, obtain moisture using deep taproot system and conserves water by orienting their vertically-held upright leaf edges north or south and exposing the upper and lower sides east and west to take advantage of the cooler morning and evening sun.

This maneuvering is where the common name, compass plant, originated.

John Borzick, at Tall Tales in Boscobel, said rattlesnake talk has begun, but road crews have not reported seeing any. Fishing is good on the Wisconsin River for bluegills, crappies, catfish, and bass with a lot of dogfish being reported and returned.

Stickseed, an obnoxious biennial with October strands of tiny fruits cling to clothing and fur. Now’s the time to pull these weeds to avoid fireside picking from hunting gear and dog fur.

Travis Anderson, DNR wildlife biologist in Lafayette and Iowa counties, reported a black bear sighting in the Argyle area. Several collared bobcats have been seen, too.

Don Martin, in Monroe, has heard reports of dried up blackcaps.

Bluegill fishing has been good in the Browntown area.

Drive carefully said Doug Williams, reminding evening road travelers of small raccoons, deer and rabbits. Most black raspberries should be perking up after some rain.

— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.